World RX - Loeb fastest in Q2 and dominates opening day in Canada

France’s Sebastien Loeb followed up on his Q1 performance with quickest time in Q2 to take TQ (top qualifier) spot on Saturday at the World RX of Canada, round seven of the FIA World Rallycross Championship at Trois-Riveires.

For the second qualifier in a row, Loeb won race three and was quickest in Team Peugeot Total’s 208 WRX. He took the hole shot into turn one and won his race from EKS Audi Sport’s Mattias Ekstrom and PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s Petter Solberg, who hold the same positions in the Intermediate Classification. EKS’ Andreas Bakkerud and PSRX’s Johan Kristoffersson met again in Q2 after their battle in Q1. Kristofferson took a lap one joker in race two but finished third behind Peugeot’s Timmy Hansen and Bakkerud.

Kevin Hansen finished fourth in Q2 race three and is sandwiched in the time sheets between his older brother Timmy and Kristoffersson in sixth. GRX Taneco’s Niclas Gronholm, OlsbergsMSE’s and Team STARD’s Janis Baumanis complete the top ten.

It was a difficult session Holjes RX podium finisher, GC Kompetition’s Jerome Grosset-Janin. The Frenchman hit the wall in the penultimate corner while leading his race and was collected by GRX’s Timur Timerzyanov, damaging both cars. Timerzyanov made it to the finish but Grosset-Janin was forced to retire.

In Q2 of the RX2 International Series, OlsbergsMSE’s Oliver Eriksson set the quickest time to take overnight TQ as JC Raceteknik’s Henrik Krogstad, fighting back after problems in Q1, was second quickest.